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MechWarrior 2
MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat is a 1995 computer game produced by Activision. It separates itself from the original board game Battletech by placing the player inside the cockpit of the BattleMech, making the game more of a simulator than of a strategy game. This game has had multiple releases, initially for MS-DOS then Microsoft Windows with versions designed around different videocards with 3D acceleration. In MechWarrior 2, the player can choose to be a member of either Clan Jade Falcon or Clan Wolf, while engaging in a total of 30 missions (15 missions to each Clan) in the 3057 time frame. Originally, MechWarrior 2 was to have shipped with multiplayer capabilities via a program called NetMech. About eight months after MechWarrior 2 initially shipped, NetMech was made available to to the public via a free download or in a low-cost boxed CD-ROM. NetMech featured various types of gameplay, with support of up to eight players. All versions of MechWarrior 2 beyond this date have NetMech bundled with the game. MechWarrior 2 was also ported to the Sega Saturn and the Sony PlayStation as MechWarrior 2: Arcade Combat Edition, with less simulation-like and more action-oriented gameplay. PC Versions ATI Rage version Outside of the original MS-DOS version, this one is the most common and was found bundled with oem videocards and desktop systems, including integrated chipsets and including those manufactured by IBM. MechWarrior 2 has a set resolution of 512 x 384 and options to disable or enable textures and texture filtering. Mechs Featured in this Game *Firemoth (Dasher) *Kit Fox (Uller) *Jenner IIC *Nova (Black Hawk) *Storm Crow (Ryoken) *Mad Dog (Vulture) *Hellbringer (Loki) *Rifleman IIC *Summoner (Thor) *Timber Wolf (Mad Cat) *Gargoyle (Man 'O' War) *Warhammer IIC *Marauder IIC *Warhawk (Masakari) *Dire Wolf(Daishi) *Battlemaster IIC (Hidden 'Mech) *Elemental (Hidden 'Mech) *Tarantula (Hidden 'Mech) Ghost Bear's Legacy MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear's Legacy is the follow up expansion pack for MechWarrior 2, that gives the player a chance to play as the Clan Ghost Bear. This expansion pack gives players access to 14 new BattleMechs and a number of new weapons, plus 12 new missions in a number of new environments, such as outer space and underwater. Mechs Featured in this Game *Incubus *Horned Owl *Raven *Phantom *Linebacker *Grizzly *Hatamoto-Chi *Naga *Victor *Executioner (Gladiator) *Annihilator *Atlas *Kodiak *Stone Rhino (Behemoth) *''Plus all the Mechs from the original game'' Mercenaries MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries was released in September 1996 and is a stand-alone sequel to MechWarrior 2 and the last Activision BattleTech game. In this game, the player takes control of an Inner Sphere mercenary squad, with control over the finances and mission selections. Mercenaries gives the player access to 30 new BattleMechs and 50 missions covering numerous worlds, including missions pertaining to the Clan invasion. Mercenaries also features MercNet (a redesign of NetMech) for multiplayer. Mechs Featured in this Game *Annihilator *Assassin *Atlas *Awesome *Bombardier *Catapult *Centurion *Cicada *Clint *Commando *Crab *Cyclops *Dragon *Flashman *Highlander *Hunchback *Jenner *Jaggermech *Javelin *Orion *Panther *Quickdraw *Sentinel *Stalker *Thug *Trebuchet *Urbanmech *Victor *Vindicator *Whitworth *Zeus *Hatamoto-Chi *Hornet *Mauler *Raven *Wolf Trap *Battle Hawk *Grim Reaper *Mongoose *Salamander *Cauldron Born *Dire Wolf (Diashi) *Elemental *Executioner (Gladiator) *Firemoth (Dasher) *Gargoyle (Man O' War) *Grizzly *Hellbringer (Loki) *Jenner IIC *Kit Fox (Uller) *Kodiak *Linebacker *Mad Dog (Vulture) *Naga *Nova (Black Hawk) *Phantom *Storm Crow (Ryoken) *Summoner (Thor) *Timber Wolf (Mad Cat) *Warhawk (Masakari) The Titanium Trilogy MechWarrior 2: The Titanium Trilogy was released in 1997 and contains all three MechWarrior 2 games with added support for Windows 95 and 3D accelerated video hardware. Including 16-bit graphics (as opposed to the original 8-bit), which vastly changed the look of the original game. Technical Notes The ATI 3D Rage version seems to run under Windows 95 and 98 with the ATI 3D Rage drivers. The software rendered version works quite well on many machines, it can run natively under Windows XP with an unofficial patch, or under a DOS emulator with some setup. Problems such as jump jets not recharging may be resolved by playing the game in DosBox 0.65. The Windows versions of the game have the video encoded using RAD Game Tools video codec Smacker, which, unlike the games is compatible with Windows XP. External links *[http://games.activision.com/games/mechseries/index.html Activisions's Official MechWarrior 2 Website] *[http://www.webcitation.org/query?id=1256533651321713&url=www.geocities.com/k_lupinsky/ KanaJana's MechWarrior 2 Website] - Covers every PC version of MechWarrior 2 in a lot of detail. *[http://web.archive.org/20000610161704/www.geocities.com/lokety/mw2_index.html MechWarrior 2 Infopage] - Lots of information on tips and seutp for MechWarrior 2. * *Unofficial MechWarrior2/Mercs FAQs *Dan Kegel's Mercs FAQ *MechWarrior 2 Resource Forum